WOMEN'S FORUM DUBAI 2016

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, and led by Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment, Global Women’s Forum Dubai not only reflects the keenness of the UAE leaderships to elevate the status of UAE women, but will also favourably represent the character of the UAE and its citizens at a global level. Global Women's Forum Dubai 2016 will not only serve Dubai's vision to be the epicentre of international conferences, but is also in alignment with the UAE's strategy in empowering societies through women.

Building on the theme 'Let's Innovate!', Global Women’s Forum Dubai is an unprecedented platform for discussing what innovation really means. We will move beyond the usual expectations for and reservations about technology to address what part tradition can play in innovation as well as the sustainable role of women in this rapidly changing world. We will consider ways to strengthen the role of women and examine how they contribute to the economy, and how they inspire future generations of women as they actively participate in nation-building.

The agenda streams for Global Women’s Forum Dubai fall under five pillars: Achieving, Creating, Giving, Energizing, and Sustaining. Each pillar will serve to orient sessions and discussions to show how the development of innovative ideas and practices can benefit women, society or the economy.

The Discovery section of Global Women's Forum Dubai 2016 will be among the key highlights of the event. The Discovery is the renowned creativity space at Women's Forum meetings featuring a wide variety of "hubs" presenting complementary workshops and enlightening exhibits to expand upon the numerous concepts discussed during the main panel discussions.

The history of the UAE is a testament to the nation’s value as a converging point for business and trade, but also for the exchange of ideas, experience and inspiration. Today Dubai is one of the most hyper-connected places on the planet, where more than 200 different nationalities thrive in harmony.

The Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) was formed in 2006 under Law no. (24) by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai. DWE is headed by Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of UAE Gender Balance Council. As a statutory body of Dubai Government and as per its founding decree, DWE aims to encourage and facilitate the participation of Emirati women in the workforce and society.Its mandate includes extensive research to identify and quantify status of women in the workforce of Dubai, as well as initiatives towards women’s further development opportunities. Awareness and policies that are conducive to women in the workforce are recommended to Dubai Government as well as solutions to enable women to play a greater role within the UAE and on a global scale.

The term participation includes acknowledgment of women in arts, women in sports, women in leadership, professionally in their field as well as of the societal arena such as act of philanthropy, humanitarian work and politics.

Women in Media at Global Women's Forum Dubai 2016

For the first time, the Women in Media Initiative of the Women's Forum for the Economy & Society was in the Middle East. In partnership with Twitter, CNN, France Médias Monde and Dubai Media Incorporated, sessions scheduled within the Discovery Program this year, addressed topics such as “Twitter: a leadership platform for women” or “Meet with Becky Anderson” one of CNN International's highest profile anchors.